L&W Engineering in Holland to add 100 jobs in next year

HOLLAND, MI — A Detroit-area firm could add 100 jobs to its Holland manufacturing plant by next summer as part of an expansion project.

L&W Engineering, an automotive parts manufacturer based in the Detroit suburb of New Boston, is investing more than $3.42 million into new machinery and equipment at its plant at 808 East 32nd St. The company currently employs about 300 workers at the facility, said Brian Matney, the plant’s general manager.

“The work ethic of the people in this area is outstanding, which is one of the main reasons why I pushed so hard whenever we saw the opportunity, when we had a little bit of floor space, to put new machinery in and bring in more jobs,” Matney said.

L&W is considered a leading Tier I supplier to the auto industry, specializing in metal stampings, welded assemblies and tubular products. The company opened its first plant in Belleville in 1973, and now has 17 facilities around the country, 12 of them in Michigan, said Dawn Dayton, the firm’s community relations director.

“The family (that owns the company) is from, and loves Michigan, so we prefer our growth within Michigan whenever we can,” Dayton said.

L&W’s Holland plant has been in existence for 20 years. The company plans to hire 30 new employees by the end of this year and another 70 by the end of the second quarter of next year, Dayton said.

The new jobs to be created range from laborer positions to professional and technical jobs, with pay ranging from $11 an hour for line positions to $22 an hour for professional positions, Dayton said.

Holland city officials applauded the expansion plans, granting the company a 12-year, 50 percent tax abatement for the project on Wednesday, Sept. 18.

“I appreciate the fact that you’re paying a livable wage, and also for the commitment you’re making to the community,” Councilman Dave Hoekstra said.

Hoekstra says the new positions will generate an additional $2.3 million for the local economy, based on projected wages.

L&W will save more than $166,000 in total taxes, including $71,000 in city taxes, over the life of the 12-year abatement, according to city records.